Pineapple crowns are plucked by hand for transplanting on Del Monte’s sprawling fields near Buenos Aires, Costa Rica. The pineapples are sprayed for insect pests in the field and treated with post-harvest fungicides, before being packed in refrigerated containers and loaded on Del Monte’s own container ships for the weeklong trip to US ports. After the introduction of the Del Monte Gold pineapple variety with a sweeter, less acidic taste in 1996, production increased rapidly. These plants produce two fruits in the first two years, before their spiky crowns are cut off to start a new plant in fresh soil. Most of the pineapple fields are on old cattle pastures and coffee plantations, with some 30 percent of their land set aside as forested wildlife corridors to regenerate biodiversity. Efficient monocultures and rising global demand have helped the small Latin American country become one of the largest producers of tropical fruit in the world, with one of the highest rates of pesticide use per hectare.
- Filename
- STNMTZ_20210114_5465.TIF
- Copyright
- George Steinmetz
- Image Size
- 6008x4000 / 68.8MB
- www.georgesteinmetz.com
- Contained in galleries